Although players have been requesting it since the early days of Destiny 1, Bungie confirms that Destiny 2 will not support matchmaking in the traditional sense. There will be a new feature called Guided Games that is meant to bring players together for challenging activities, but randomly pairing players is something that Bungie feels does not work for its game.
While speaking with Destiny 2 Project Lead Mark Noseworthy, Game Rant was able to talk a little bit about why Bungie feels matchmaking does not work. Noseworthy also shared some info about how Guided Games will support a variety of players with a variety of interests.
Matchmaking may have been something Bungie considered for Destiny 1, but at some point the development team decided it was “incompatible” with the core experience. As Noseworthy explains, matchmaking doesn’t compliment the type of welcoming environment that Bungie wants to create. Teaming random players together very rarely ends well.
No matter where players may come down on the issue of Destiny having matchmaking, it’s hard to argue with Noseworthy’s points. Destiny’s endgame is challenging and it requires a very specific mindset, so putting players together that are incompatible will likely lead to headaches.
Even so, Bungie has not left solo players completely in the dust for Destiny 2. A new feature called Guided Games will offer players and teams an in-game searching option whereby they can fill out their fireteam. But like an LFG, Guided Games doesn’t simply match two random players together; it lets a seeker or group match with someone that fits their style.
Since the very beginning, the Destiny experience has been about bringing players together, anonymously. A solo player or a group of friends can jump into a strike or PvP match and compete for a similar goal without ever speaking or interacting, but somehow they share an experience.
However, there exists in Destiny a few gameplay experiences that are only for pre-made groups, namely Trials of Osiris, the Nightfall Strike, and the raid. For these ultra-challenging modes, Bungie doesn’t want to throw players into the deep end by matchmaking them with just anybody, but the devs do want Destiny 2 players to have in-game options.
It does sound as though Guided Games is a smart middle ground for Bungie and one that will likely help Destiny players find new friends or even clan mates to play with regularly. There is also apparently more nuance to Guided Games than was implied by the initial reveal, but Noseworthy says those conversations will be saved for a later date.
Destiny 2 releases September 8, 2017 for PS4 and Xbox One. The PC version currently has no release date.
